'Renegade' Design in Maryland

Feb. 26, 2013 1:36 p.m. ET

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The owner, Lewie Bloom, 58, purchased this roughly half-acre property in Bethesda, Md., for $1.2 million, according to public records. Mr. Bloom, a real-estate developer, says he's 'always been a renegade' when it comes to challenging the greater D.C. area's 'stodgy' architecture, dominated by Colonial-style homes. This modern home is part of his career-long response to the region's more traditional housing stock.
Marlon Crutchfield…

Inside, the home is designed to showcase the natural surroundings, as well as fill the space with light. The home was designed by architect Robert Gurney.
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The home has four bedrooms and measures roughly 10,000 square feet. 'I always loved living in contemporaries because they're just filled with light,' Mr. Bloom said.
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The home includes five full bathrooms and two half baths. Privacy has never been an issue, Mr. Bloom said, because of the property's natural coverage and location. 'I could run around the house naked and nobody could see me—nor do I care,' Mr. Bloom joked.
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The kitchen area is shown. 'It's all one big room,' Mr. Bloom said about the home's central layout. 'The family unit nowadays pretty much spends their time in the kitchen and family room,' he said, which is reflected in the design.
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Between the cubes that comprise the home there is a glass bridge, shown here. The structure is made of glass and steel, Mr. Bloom said, and allows for views down to a koi pond below the bridge, and light that pours in from above.
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Some of the glass in the home is covered in this shoji screen-like insulation, Mr. Bloom said, which gives privacy without blocking out sunlight.
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Mr. Bloom says he has enjoyed the home, but the plan was always to sell. 'I never get attached to them too much,' he said, and he's looking forward to starting a new project. The home's pool area is shown.
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The home was first put on the market in 2008 as a custom home, according to one of the listing agents, before construction was completed and additional features were being considered, at $10.75 million. The design for the home was later modified, and the completed home was most recently listed in February for just under $5 million with Jayne Ehrens and Emily Ehrens Hainline of TTR Sotheby's International Realty.
Marlon Crutchfield…